Fleas

Cat Flea [CTENOCEPHALIDES FELIS]

Dog Flea [CTENOCEPHALIDES CANUS]

Fleas have been around for millions of years, sucking the blood of animals and humans. Fossilized remains of fleas have shown that the species has had little or no evolution over hundreds of millions of years!

Fleas can live on pets, mammals, in carpets, in sofas as well as other household and industrial goods. The most common fleas that afflict homeowners are the cat and dog fleas, although cat fleas can often also be found on dogs too.

Remember, if you suspect that you have fleas in your home then act immediately. Fleas should be removed from all stages in their life cycle, to protect your family and pets!

Further Information

Female Fleas lay eggs that turn in to grub-like larvae. The larvae then develop in to pupae and settle inside a cocoon. They wait patiently inside this cocoon for a host to start their life and suck blood. When something warm moves pass by the pupae, they unzip the cocoon and jump on the animal or human body. All this happens in three seconds and the flea can jump as high as four feet.

Like other insects, fleas have an extremely quick breeding and life cycle pattern as well as an ability to ‘suspend’ themselves if danger is present. The stages from pupae to adult can be as quick as 16 days, or, if the insect senses danger from pesticides while in its cocoon, hibernate for months until it senses that danger has passed.

Adults usually begin to seek a blood meal on the second day after emergence, but can live for several months on stored body fat. Once on a host, they tend to spend all of their time on the host, feeding, mating, and laying eggs, unless dislodged. Although they have a preferred host, they will readily bite and can survive using other species as hosts. Depending on conditions, adults usually live only several days because normal cat grooming removes up to 50% of the fleas; otherwise, they can survive for about a year.

When considering their breeding potential, consider this fact: Female fleas start producing eggs within 24 to 48 hours after taking their first blood meal and can lay up to 40 to 50 eggs per day which means that in just 30 days, 10 female fleas can multiply to over a quarter of a million different fleas in various life stages.

Remember that adult fleas, pupae, larvae and eggs – fleas at all stages should be killed to rid your house or business of them completely. Resistive pupae and larvae grow on to become adult fleas in a few weeks even though the original adult fleas are killed. This is why repeated treatments are often necessary to rid your premises or home of a large infestation.